Cancel Christmas?!

There is a fascinating discussion taking place among Christians about the choice of several churches to cancel their Christmas Day services. There have been articles in the secular (The Chicago Tribune & The Lexington Herald Leader) and Christian press (Christianity Today's Weblog). The discussion deals directly with the issue of Christian freedom.

Why did these churches cancel the service? One spokeswoman for Willow Creek Church in the Chicago area said: "It's being lifestyle-friendly for people who are just very, very busy." Another Willow Creek staff member explained that they "see it as not having church on Christmas. We see it as decentralizing the church on Christmas -- hundreds of thousands of experiences going on around Christmas trees. The best way to honor the birth of Jesus is for families to have a more personal experience on that day." But if it is good to have "a more personal experience" then "why not decentralize the church every week?" Similarly, Fuller Seminary professor, Robert Johnston, didn't like the emphasis on individual family worship: "What's going on here is a redefinition of Christmas as a time of family celebration rather than as a time of the community faithful celebrating the birth of the Savior. There is a risk that we will lose one more of our Christian rituals, one that's at the heart of our faith."

But is Christmas day worship “at the heart of our faith”? Willow Creek says that they haven’t had a Christmas Day service since the last time Christmas fell on a Sunday -- and that one service was poorly attended. Willow Creek estimated that they would have about 50,000 worshipers at various services the week preceding Christmas. And they produced and distributed a Christmas DVD that people could play in their homes.

What does Scripture say? In Romans 14 Paul wrote: "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers everyday alike." (v.5) Paul defined this issue as a “disputable matter,” thus giving a Christian the freedom to view certain days as sacred or not. (The Catholic Church does not give its worshipers this kind of freedom. A Catholic priest explained that Christmas day is "a holy day of obligation, which means for the faithful, Mass attendance is required.") All that is required is that each person “should be fully convinced in his own mind” about his viewpoint. God is more concerned that I live my life “to the Lord” -- that I am conscious of Him in all that I do -- than what day I worship.

It seems, then, that we have the freedom to view Christmas Day as a special day of worship or not. Different churches and different individuals within these churches, will come to different conclusions as they look to God for direction. The key is that whatever we do, we do it with our hearts and minds on the incredible condescension that God accomplished in Bethlehem’s stable: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified. But the angel said to them: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying: `Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’”

Leadership, Part 5

How can a person rule others if he can’t rule himself? Paul’s next character trait for a leader is that he must be “self-controlled.” This is a disciplined person. He schedules regular time with God. He watches only the second half of a football game so he can help his wife with housework. He limits his spending so that he won’t have to work overtime to pay for his toys. He is able to decline an offer to golf with his buddies because Saturday morning is the best time to be with his kids.

It is easier to describe what a disciplined person looks like than how he becomes disciplined. Paul told the Corinthians: “I beat my body and I make it my slave so that ... I will not be disqualified for the prize.” The disciplined person is able to set aside immediate gratification for future rewards -- the athlete labors for a trophy, the Christian for “a crown that will last forever.” Paul made his body subservient to a higher purpose -- to preach the gospel. He was motivated by eternity.

• “Lord, I know that fellowship with you is the only way I will develop an eternal perspective.”
• “Lord, the results of this football game will be insignificant in light of eternity. You have called me to love my wife and she needs my help today.”
• “Lord, I know that the toys I am tempted to buy will not make me happy. Only you can bring true joy.”
• “Lord, I know that no one in heaven will ask about my golf handicap. But you will ask about my faithfulness in teaching my children -- who will live forever.”

Leadership, Part 4

Paul’s lengthy list of qualifications for leadership in I Timothy provides a glimpse into the essential traits required of a Christian leader. Though no one (except Jesus) perfectly mirrors these qualifications, they provide an ideal to measure progress toward maturity.

In my last post I talked about temperance as one of the critical traits. Paul also explained that a leader must be “above reproach” and “respectable.” John Stott believes these words point toward a leader’s public performance -- it “has to do with irreproachable observable conduct.” This type of person would “have a good reputation with outsiders.”

I recently read a biography of a well-known Christian coach. Though this man was highly thought of the Christian community, few of his players respected him. They thought that his coaching didn’t match his faith. They said he was heartless with correction. He appeared indifferent when players were hurting. He was callous when cutting players. He didn’t maintain any relationship with former players. Didn’t Jesus say that love is the essential mark of a Christian? Didn’t Paul say that if I don’t have love “I am nothing”? This coach justified his actions by stating that he didn’t want to get too close to his players because he was afraid it would prejudice his difficult choices. That’s like saying I don’t want to get to close to my kids because it my effect my ability to discipline them. This is nonsense. Love certainly effects our judgment -- but usually for the better.

If I want to be a godly leader, it isn’t just my life at church that must be above reproach. I must ask myself: How do I react to a hard foul during pick-up basketball? How do I treat a waitress who can’t get my order right? How do I speak about my political opponents? How do I respond to a grouchy neighbor who complains about the noise my grandkids are making? “Father, I want all of my words and ways to bring honor to you.”

Leadership, Part 3

The Christian Temperance Union was highly intemperate. As C.S. Lewis has rightly pointed out, to be temperate means “going the right length and no further.” The Temperance Union when far beyond the dictates of Scripture, defining temperance as abstaining. The Apostle Paul explained a Christian leader is “not given to drunkenness.” He did not say, “not given to drink.” In fact, he even advised his spiritual son, Timothy, to “use a little wine” for his frequent illnesses.

But temperance is not just about drinking alcohol. We turned down my dad’s offer to pay for satellite T.V. because I would probably become intemperate in watching televised sports -- especially in the winter. Must I abstain from watching televised sports to avoid sin? Not if the watching is kept within proper bounds. A person who is spiritually mature can enjoy God’s good gifts without letting them control him. But if televised sports controls my mind or hinders my studies or distracts me from fathering, then I am being intemperate. A person can be intemperate in innumerable ways: “A man who makes his golf or his [motorcycle] the centre of his life or a woman who devotes all her thought to clothes or bridge or her dog, is being just as “intemperate” as someone who gets drunk every evening.”

Though some addictions -- addicts are created by intemperance -- are judged more leniently by Christians, God isn’t fooled: “[Drunkenness] does not show on the outside so easily; bridge-mania or golf-mania do not make you fall down in the middle of the road. But God isn’t deceived by externals.”

Leadership, Part 2

In I Tim.2 Paul begins a lengthy section on male leadership. (This doesn’t mean that women can’t be leaders. There are simply differences in where and how that leadership is expressed.) But how should this male leadership be exercised? “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.” (I Tim.2:8) Paul said that the proper expression of leadership begins with prayer.

What normally happens when there are conflicts? Paul explained that we are to pray “without anger or disputing” because he knew our tendencies in conflict. Letting our anger flare and jumping into the fray, we try to persuade, argue, explain, justify. We want it our way and we want it now!

“Stop teasing your brother!”
“Can’t we have a little peace and quiet around here?!”
“No, I was not upset! What makes you think I was upset?!”
"Can't you handle a little correction?"

Biblical leadership is not heavy on commands or demands. It is heavy on service. And what better way to serve others than by praying for them?

Throughout his earthly ministry Jesus put an emphasis on prayer (Mk.1:35-39) -- he even thought it more important than sleep! (Ouch! It is painful to reflect on how important sleep is to me.) Prayer was also a higher priority than ministry or other’s agendas.

Our world desperately needs men whose first response to conflict is to lift their hearts to God’s throne, releasing their attempts to control situations and seeking God’s guidance and strength. “Lord, help me to see this conflict as you do. Help me see my own role in this conflict accurately. Help me not to become defensive. Help me not look for excuses. Help me not to act before I have heard from you and given you time to work.”

Developing Leaders, I Timothy 1

Leadership is a hot, if not new, topic. Nearly 2000 years ago the apostle Paul was concerned about developing leaders to help him preach the gospel. Paul’s short letters to one of these recruits, Timothy, gives us a glimpse into the nature of mature Christian leadership and how it develops.

Paul’s impact as developer of leaders was based on the depth of his relationship to his recruits. Timothy -- who had a Christian mother but a pagan father -- was called Paul’s “true son in the faith.” (1:3) Like all boys, Timothy probably longed for a biological father who would have led and guided him into the truth. But Paul became his spiritual father. Though Timothy struggled at times with fulfilling his ministry (he withdrew when he experienced rejection), Paul seldom blasted him. Even when he disappointed Paul, Paul told his son that he “longed to see him.”

Not long ago I was having a conversation with a man who has been in Bible studies of mine for the past 15-20 years. He thanked me for my input in his life but then added: “I wish we had had more time together.” I know what he was asking for. He wanted more lunches or an occasional walk or an afternoon of fishing -- time to enjoy being together which would include a more leisurely pace to our conversations. Some issues can’t be discussed in a thirty minute appointment. Paul had this kind of casual time with Timothy as they traveled from city to city establishing and encouraging new churches.

Virginia Stem Owens has written that when parents talk about having “quality” time with their kids, they are often hoping that they can “dehydrate life to avoid the dull spots.” Her point is that it is in those “dull spots” that we find some of the best opportunities to pass on our values to our kids -- driving in a car together, watching a movie, working in the yard. If we want to influence those we are leading, we must plan chunks of unstructured time with them.

Confession

As you have recognized I haven't updated this for the past two weeks. Three weeks ago my dad broke his hip and last week my wife broke her foot. I'm working on a new series on leadership -- I'll have a new post in a few days. Thanks for your patience.